Question

In the figure shown below, current is flowing in the clockwise direction in a loop of wire. The part of the loop that faces you has ___ pole.

• A. east
• B. west
• C. north
• D. south

Answer 1

The correct option is D south

We know that the direction of magnetic field around a current carrying conductor can be found by right-hand thumb rule. And we know that magnetic field due to each part of the wire will have a component in the centre of the loop that points to one direction.

Now each point of the loop has a magnetic field at the centre that points into the paper away from you. In other words, into the plane. Now in a bar magnet, we see that magnetic field lines go away from the north pole and into the south pole. Since the field line is going into the loop at this part, this part will be the south pole. If the current is flowing in the anticlockwise direction, the magnetic field lines will have a component that comes towards you, and the polarity will be north pole